


Lyft Me Up

by allonsyarielle



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, First Date, Fluff, M/M, NHL!Jack, grad student!bitty, meet cute, youtuber!bitty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-21
Updated: 2017-09-06
Packaged: 2018-12-18 01:12:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11863560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allonsyarielle/pseuds/allonsyarielle
Summary: When Bitty ends up in a shared Lyft from the airport with none other than Jack Zimmermann, he can't actually believe it is happening.  Let alone the fact that Jack actually talks to him, laughs with him, and asks him out on a date.  This can't be real life right?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this fic was partly inspired by me having a slight freak out when my brain decided to throw the thought "OMG what if we're picking up [insert my top celeb crush here who shared a same first name with the other lyft passenger]" when my Lyft went to pick up the second passenger, and it just kinda spiralled from there. I thought this was just going to be a short meet-cute drabble not a full on nearly 4.5k fic.
> 
> Thanks to [piesandpucks](http://piesandpucks.tumblr.com) for enabling, or really just agreeing with me that this was a good idea for a fic
> 
> Title is sort of taken from Kate Voegle's Lift Me Up, because that song popped into my head when I decided on the pun for the title and the song kinda works.

Bitty was scrolling through his twitter, catching up from everything he missed while he was on the plane when he got the notification.

 

_ You will be sharing your ride with Jack. _

 

He ignored the notification and went back to reading Twitter.

 

“We have to loop back around to terminal B to pick up this new person, then we’ll be off,” the Lyft driver said to Bitty.

 

“Okay,” Bitty replied mindlessly.  It was the risk of choosing to do Lyft Line instead of just a regular Lyft, but he was going for cheap not convenience.  This trip was already putting him in a tight spot financially, but if all went well, the payoff would be well worth it!  

 

It took about fifteen minutes to loop back around the airport to pick up the other passenger and by then Bitty had caught up on his timeline and was just staring out the window.

 

When the driver pulled up at the terminal to pick up “Jack”, Bitty’s attention was pulled toward the tall, dark, and HOLY FUCKING SHIT THAT IS JACK ZIMMERMANN, THE FIRST OPEN LGBTQIA+ PLAYER IN THE NHL WAVING TOWARD THE CAR!  This clearly must be a mistake, because Jack Zimmermann, two-time Stanley Cup winner and captain of the Providence Falconers was in no way taking a shared Lyft ride from the airport right?  This was all just a weird coincidence and Jack Zimmermann was clearly waving at some other private hired car near by.

 

Bitty was not all that into hockey, he grew up in a strictly football house, but that didn’t mean he didn’t know who the first ever non-straight hockey player to come out was.  Bitty remembers seeing the video of the press conference after the fact.  There was something about the man that drew Bitty in he couldn’t quite explain.  Jack might have been the first hockey player to come out, but he wasn’t the first professional athlete.  For some reason though, he was the first real celebrity to come out that left a mark on Bitty’s little gay heart.  And he might have spent the following few weeks down in the rabbit hole of Jack Zimmermann’s life according to google. He sometimes would even put on a hockey game every now and again when he would see the Falconers were playing.  Jack Zimmermann was attractive as hell, so what if he enjoyed the eye candy a bit?  Though the videos Bitty found on YouTube and the clips from ESPN were nothing compared to the Adonis that was walking toward his Lyft car.

 

_ Okay Bittle.  Be cool.  You can do this.  He is coming this way and he is going to get in this car and you are not going to embarrass yourself, or him.  He is not Beyonce!  You can do this.  He is just a queer athlete.  An attractive queer athlete.  An attractive queer athlete you might have been low-key thirsting over for two years now.  But no, you can be chill.  Like that time you met MIchelle Kwan at Junior Nationals and she let you try on her gold medal. _

 

By the time the passenger door opened and Jack got in, Bitty was only half in a panic.  He was putting a lot of effort into at least keeping cool on the outside.  

 

“Hey,” Jack said with a slight nod as he slid into the seat opposite Bitty.

 

“Hey,” Bitty replied, his nerves pitching his voice slightly higher than normal.  He then looked away down at his phone, which was already unlocked with the twitter app open so he wouldn’t do something dumb like blurt out “OHMIGOD YOU’RE JACK ZIMMERMANN I FOLLOW YOUR ASS ON TWITTER!” to his face.

 

**@IttyBittyPies** Um so what do you do if you happen to be sharing a Lyft with a sort of famous person?

 

Bitty hit send tweeting off to the void, not really expecting any helpful responses, but just needing to vent something out before he exploded.  Jack seemed pretty content to just sit there in silence, so Bitty was trying to do the same, and trying not to stare.  The ping from his incoming text that broke the silence nearly made him jump out of his seat. He smiled apologetically to Jack as he turned off his ringer and read the text.

 

**Lardo (1:03 PM):** So how famous is sorta famous?

**Bitty (1:03 PM):** Um, like definitely famous but I was trying to be cool

**Bitty (1:03 PM):** Like famous enough I might follow a twitter account dedicated to one of his body parts

**Bitty (1:03 PM):** Lardo what do I do? I’m hardcore freaking out rn!

**Lardo (1:03 PM):** Bits, who are you in a car with?

**Bitty (1:04 PM):** JACK MOTHERFUCKING ZIMMERMANN!!!! 

 

Bitty chanced a glance to the side at Jack, just to make sure it really was him.  After all, he’s not really a big fan and had only seen him in low quality YouTube videos and full hockey gear, so maybe this wasn’t really  _ the _ Jack Zimmermann.  Bitty’s eyes also might have wandered and lingered a little more than he meant to, eyeing the way those biceps were bulging out of the tight blue tee that perfectly fit his form.  Before he could glance away, Jack met his eye and he was caught staring.

 

“Sorry, I-- Um…”  Bitty looked away embarrassed, but not before he saw Jack tip his lips up in a small grin knowing he had just been checked out.

 

“It’s fine, I’m kinda used to it now.  As long as you don’t try to touch without consent.”

 

“Do people really…? So you really are…?  Um… Fuck.”  Bitty took a breath, apologized for cursing, then tried again.  “I don’t know why I can’t seem to talk, I’m not even really a hockey fan.”  So Bitty let out that he knew who Jack was.

 

“You’re not?”  This seemed to pique Jack’s interest into the conversation, clearly not expecting it.

 

“Um no, not really.  I mean I played a little on a community league in high school after we moved, and I’ve seen a handful of your games, but I don’t really follow sports, well contact sports.  I was a figure skater.  I only really learned who you were after finding your coming out video.  It was inspiring.  Helped me finally find the courage to come out to my mamma.”  Bitty felt his face flush, not having meant to reveal that much, but he also didn’t miss the way Jack’s cheeks seemed to pink up as well.

 

“Oh, um, well, thanks.”  There was another awkward silence, that was once again broken by Bitty’s phone, this time the vibration noise against the seat that was heightened by the sudden quiet.

 

Bitty picked his phone back up, having realized he missed quite a few texts from Lardo.  

 

**Lardo (1:04 PM):** HOLY SHIT!

**Lardo (1:04 PM):** Is he as dreamy in person?

**Lardo (1:05 PM):** Did you get a good look at that hockey ass?

**Lardo (1:05 PM):** *water droplet emoji* *heart eyes emoji* 

**Lardo (1:06 PM):** Wait, why is someone with a net worth in the millions taking a ride share in the first place?

 

Bitty had been wondering the same thing.  He was feeling a little braver now having already had the ice broken with actually talking to Jack.

 

“Can I ask you something?”  Bitty asked.

 

Jack turned back to look at Bitty.  He took a second, probably to assess if he felt safe fielding a question from a stranger, but ultimately responded with “Sure.”

 

“Why are you even taking a ride share?  Like I know I’m doing it because it’s way cheaper than other options, but you, you’re worth like millions.”

 

Jack chuckled, and Bitty felt his heart twinge.  Even in all his google research he did back when Jack first came out, everything about him was so serious and focused.  This soft side was making him swoon a bit more.

 

“Just because I can afford luxuries doesn’t mean I always have to indulge.”

 

It sounded like a practiced line, but Bitty just nodded in response, unsure what to say.  He couldn’t really relate, and was trying to imagine if he’d feel the same way if money was no option for him, but unfortunately, Bitty couldn’t picture what’d he do in Jack’s situation because he’d never had the luxury of living like that.  

 

They sat in silence for a few more minutes as the car left the airport and pulled out into Queens traffic.  For 2:00 PM on a Sunday there was a lot of traffic, even for New York City.

 

“So, what brings you to New York?” Jack asked.  There was a bit of hesitation in his voice like he didn’t usually initiate small talk and was trying something new.  The fact that Jack Zimmermann was actively trying to converse with Bitty was making his poor little heart race all over again.  

 

“I’m going to this workshop.  It’s for food vloggers.  I, um, make videos on YouTube about baking and stuff.”

 

“Oh, so are you like famous?”

 

“Lord no!”  Bitty laughed.  “You’re the only famous one in this car.  I just do it for fun, but I’ve had a few videos go viral so I do have a small following, but like a couple thousand subscribers, nothing major, but I guess I’m starting to get noticed more in some small internet circles.”

 

“What do you bake?”

 

“Everything!  There ain’t a recipe I won’t try, but pies are my specialty.  Been baking ‘em with my mamma since I was knee high.”  Jack was still smiling at him, and hanging on his every word, and Bitty’s insides were definitely jelly.

 

“So, um, I’m sorry but I don’t even know your name.”

 

“Lord, my mamma would be so ashamed of me right now.  Where are my manners.  This Georgia boy was raised better than that.  I’m Eric, but um, most people call me Bitty.”

 

“Bitty,” Jack tried the name out on his tongue.

 

“Yeah, cos my last name is Bittle.”

 

“Oh, so not because of your size,” Jack chirped, and Bitty tried to ignore the way Jack definitely eyed him up and down in a less than innocent way.

 

“I’m perfectly average, thank you very much, not all of us can be hockey gods!”  The second the words were out of his mouth, Bitty hid his face in his hands.  Thankfully Jack was laughing, and apologizing for the rib at Bitty’s size.

 

They had now made it into Manhattan and Jack seemed to recognize that they were close to his drop off point.

 

“Um, so, I don’t usually do this, like ever, but um here.”  He pulled a card out of his wallet and handed it to Bitty.  Bitty looked down and realized it was a personal business card with Jack’s cell phone number on it.  Not a professional card with his agent’s information or whatever, but his personal contact information.  “I haven’t laughed like that in a long time, and I liked talking to you, and my therapist has challenged me to try and do one thing a day that scares me, which was supposed to just be taking a shared ride, then it was trying to talk to you, so I guess I’m, um, good for like the week,” he let out a little self-deprecating huff, “I’m in town for the whole week.  Call me if you have some free time and maybe want to grab a coffee or something.”

 

Bitty was trying to will his body to react and take the card, but he was in shock.  He’s pretty sure he was just asked out by freaking Jack “my ass has it’s own twitter” Zimmermann.  The look on Jack’s face dropped when Bitty didn’t make a move for longer than was socially acceptable and Jack started apologizing profusely like the Canadian he is and his face fell as he went to open the car door and get out since they had now stopped at his drop off point.

 

“Wait,” Bitty called out before Jack got out of the car, “I’d like that.”  Jack held the card out again, smiling, and this time Bitty took it.  

 

“It was nice meeting you, Eric Bittle.”

 

“You too, Jack Zimmermann.”

 

And with that, Jack shut the car door and walk off, leaving Bitty to fully flail once he felt safely out of sight.

 

After regaining his composure, Bitty saved the phone number from the card into his phone, then sent off a text

 

**Bitty (1:56 PM):**  Hey it’s Bitty, I mean Eric Bittle, from the Lyft.  Anyway, now you have my number.

 

He didn’t get a text back, but he figured Jack was probably busy with whatever he came to New York for.  And even if Jack was just being nice and he never heard from him again and the number was fake, well he’d still have the experience from the car ride.  Bitty really needed to go call Lardo and fill her in on everything.

* * *

Bitty had checked into his hostel, and had finished rehashing the entire car ride with Jack to Lardo and they were now just chatting.

 

“Hold on a sec, someone’s calling me.”  Bitty pulled the phone away from his ear to check the caller ID.  “Holy shit, it’s Jack.  I...um...what do I do?”

 

“Go answer the call dummy!  I love you and I want to hear everything.  I can’t believe my best friend is dating a famous hockey god.”  She hung up before Bitty could even respond they were not dating they only just met.  His phone was still ringing though and he knew he didn’t have much time before he’d miss the call so he took a deep breath and hit “accept”.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Hey, Bittle, it’s Jack.”  He sounded nervous, like he did when he gave Bitty his card in the Lyft.

 

“Yeah, I know.  There’s this great little thing called caller ID.”  Bitty was surprised how easily the flirting was coming, considering who was at the other end of the line.  But then again, charming people had always come easily to Bitty, it was just part of who he was.

 

He heard a little huff of a laugh from the other end of the line.

 

“Right.  Anyway, I was just calling because...I know you’re probably busy, but if you are free, my dinner plans sort of go cancelled and I figured I’d just ask and see if you were free.”

 

“Mr. Zimmermann are you asking me out on a date?”

 

“Yes.  I mean maybe.  Is that okay?”

 

“Honey, of course it’s okay, it’s more than okay.  And I just so happen to not have any dinner plans.  Unless you count a bodega sandwich and Netflix.”

 

“Oh.  Good.  Where are you staying?  I know a few places but I can pick something depending on where you are.”

 

“Chelsea.  Close to where the YouTube Space is in Chelsea Market.”

 

“Perfect!  That’s right near one of my favorite restaurants in the City.  How’s seven?”

 

Bitty looked at his watch and saw it was just barely 4:00.  He’d have plenty of time to get ready.

 

“Seven works.  Where should I meet you?”

 

“The restaurant is called Scarpetta.  I’ll send you the address, it shouldn’t be far from you.”

 

“Okay.  I’ll see you then.”

 

Bitty hung up with a wide smile on his face, and immediately called Lardo back to yell about his date with Jack Zimmermann.

* * *

In the meantime, while Bitty had a few hours to kill before his date, he opened up his twitter, which he hadn’t looked at since he sent his vague tweet from the Lyft earlier.  He had a bunch of @ replies from people asking who the famous person he was sharing a ride with was, but he ignored them all.  He replied to a few friends checking in asking how his trip to New York was, then decided to search for Jack on Twitter.  While he did follow Jack’s most famed asset, he didn’t actually follow Jack himself.  Probably because it didn’t look like Jack really used his account all that much.  He found the verified account @JLZimmermann, that was clearly Jack’s but the last tweet was from May when the Falconers got knocked out of the playoffs.  Just a generic “proud of the team”, “sad to see the season end”, “we’ll be back next year” kind of thing.  Bitty hit follow anyway, then moved on to follow @PVDFalcs and @NHL.  Yeah he was probably going to have to pay a little more attention to hockey now.

 

A few minutes later he got a notification “@JLZimmermann has started following you”.  He debated back and forth with himself if he should tweet at Jack.  Jack had something like a million followers and never used his twitter.  If Bitty tweeted at him and he responded, it’d get noticed, and he wasn’t quite sure he was ready for that.  He just met the man and they hadn’t even had a date yet.  He’s read TMZ, he does not really want or need that in his life.  Bitty finally decided against tweeting at Jack.

 

**@IttyBIttyPies** Y’all I made it to NY! Can’t wait to see @YouTubeSpaceNY tom & meet fellow food vloggers.  D’ya think @harto will be there? I might die!

 

Bitty occupied himself for another hour or so responding to tweets.  A lot of his followers seemed to be enthusiastic about him appearing in an episode of My Drunk Kitchen, which would honestly be a dream come true for Bitty.  Others were sending him suggestions of things to do in New York, or just wishing him luck.  He might not have a big following on YouTube, but he really did love the little community he had.

 

**@IttyBittyPies**  Okay so hypothetically if one had a date tonight, which shirt [IMG1043.jpeg] [IMG1044.jpeg]  POLL: 1. Blue solid 2. Green Plaid

 

Bitty left the poll open while he went to go shower and start getting ready.  His hair needed time to be crafted into the perfect coif.  When he returned and checked his phone, he saw way more notification than he would have expected.  Usually he’d get maybe 20 or 30 responses from something like this, but he was seeing hundreds of notifications and his follower count had jumped by like 200 since he left for his shower.  Still in his towel, he went investigating through his notifications, because this was unusual and he wanted to find the source.  Sure enough he found it.

 

**@JLZimmermann** @IttyBittyPies I like the blue.

 

It warmed Bitty’s heart to know that Jack one, even saw his tweet, and two, responded.  Maybe he didn’t actually know how twitter polls work, since he clearly isn’t the most active twitter user, because you don’t have to @ reply, you just answer the poll question.  Bitty also wondered if he had any idea what that one reply did.

 

**Bitty (5:53 PM):** Do you have any idea what you just did, mister?

**Jack (5:54 PM):** What?

**Bitty (5:54 PM):** Your tweet

**Jack (5:55 PM):** What about it?

**Bitty (5:55 PM):** I’ve gotten like 200 new followers and a couple hundred notifications since you tweeted at me!  A good half of them are asking me if I’m going on a date with you and the rest just want to know who I am and why you are tweeting me.

**Jack (5:56 PM):** People really pay that much attention to twitter?

**Bitty (5:56 PM):** Yes, Jack, you have like a million followers.  You are the first and currently only out NHL player.  You barely ever use your twitter.  So yes, people notice.

 

Instead of getting a text response, Bitty’s phone lit up with an incoming call from Jack

 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.”

 

“Sweetheart, no, it’s fine, really.  I mean half of the point of this workshop I’m doing is to grow my online presence and expand my subscriber base so I can bring in more profit to help pay for some of my grad school expenses.  But this also now means that people will be watching us because it’s out there now and we haven’t even been on a date yet so it’s a lot of pressure.”

 

“Oh.”  Jack didn’t say anything for a long moment after that, but Bitty had a feeling he was not to interrupt so he just waited on the line until Jack spoke again. “We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to anymore.”

 

“Honey, that’s not what I meant.  I’d still really like to have dinner with you.  I’d’ve just preferred to get to know you without the watchful eyes of TMZ or whatever other gossip rags happen to be watching.”

 

“Right, sorry,” Jack said again, and bless his poor Canadian heart.

 

“I’m still really looking forward to our date,” Bitty said trying to assuage the situation.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Of course, sweetheart.  I might not have realized what going on a date with a famous hockey player meant at the time I agreed, but y’ain’t scaring me away that fast.  I can handle myself.  But, um, let’s try to not feed the trolls, so how ‘bout you stay away from twitter or any other public platform for now.”

 

“I can do that.”  Bitty could hear the contemplative silence as was Jack trying to figure out what to say next.  He’d known this man for like five hours and he was already starting to be able to read him.  “Bitty?”

 

“Yes, honey.”  He heard a faint nervous laugh before Jack spoke again.

 

“I’m looking forward to our date too.”

 

“Good.  I’ll see you soon then.”

 

They hung up and Bitty could already feel the butterflies in his belly.  Not the nervous, bad kind, but the excited, nervous, first date kind.  It’d been a long time since Bitty felt this way about someone, and even then he’d never felt this strongly this quickly before, and that was just adding to his nerves.  Once he was done getting himself ready, he called Lardo again for one last pep talk before heading out to meet Jack, and continued to ignore twitter for the time being.

* * *

The restaurant Jack picked was gorgeous and way out of Bitty’s price range.  He knew, or at least had a feeling, he didn’t have to worry about the bill, but it still made him a bit uncomfortable to eat some place he knowingly could not afford.

 

“What happened to not needing to indulge in luxuries?” Bitty chirped as they were seated and he was still admiring the decor and aesthetics of the place.  The dim lighting with just the candlelight glow and smooth jazz did make it the perfect romantic date setting.

 

“Well, sometimes special occasions, and special people, call for a little indulgence.”

 

Bitty blushed, which he hoped the dim lighting of the room hid well enough.  They were seated at a table in a back corner.  It wasn’t private, but it was secluded enough they wouldn’t be bothered much, even if Jack was recognized.

 

When the waiter came over to take their drink order, Jack turned to Bitty.

 

“I, um, don’t really drink, but I’d have a glass of wine if you want one so you’re not drinking alone.”

 

Bitty thought about it for a second then responded to the waiter, “I’m fine with just water.”

 

“Are you sure?” Jack asked.

 

“Yes.  Water is just fine.”

 

The conversation flowed easily throughout the meal.  Jack talked about his family, and what it was like growing up with his dad playing in the NHL and how hockey is all he’s really ever known.  He talked about his team too, which from what Bitty gathered are like a second family to him.  Bitty also shared stories about his family, about growing up in small town Georgia.  He told Jack more about his figure skating career and how he missed being on the ice even years later.  He talked about college and how he studied hospitality and hotel management and now is going back to school to get his MBA and dreams of opening his own small inn or B&B because he loves taking care of people and baking so that would combine those two passions.  Jack asks about “the YouTube” and Bitty laughs about his complete ignorance of all things social media.  By the time it’s time for dessert, neither one want the date to end so they decide to skip dessert at the restaurant and find somewhere else to go, just to prolong the time spent together.  They end up getting gelato up on the High Line and just walking together, enjoying the company, and the view.  Their peace is finally interrupted when Bitty’s phone vibrates with an incoming text, pulling him out of their bubble and back to the real world.  He notices the time when he opens the text to read.

 

“Oh my, is it really that late?”

 

Jack looked over to read the time off Bitty’s phone (11:43 PM), while also catching a bit of the text that had come through.

 

**Lardo (11:42 PM):** I haven’t heard from you all night and now I’m starting to worry Jack was really like an axe murderer or something so please let me know you’re still alive!  And if you’re still on the date, well then I guess things are going well and I want the deets later ;)

 

Jack chuckled, and it was the most adorable noise Bitty had ever heard.  “I could still be an axe murderer you know.”

 

“Sure sweetie.  You keep telling yourself that while I text her back real quick then we should probably head back because I have to be up early for the workshop.”

 

They had stopped walking while Bitty texted, because Jack insisted that it wasn’t safe to walk and text because he’d hurt himself.  Once Bitty had sent the text, he turned to look back up at Jack with a glowing grin on his face.  Suddenly, Jack’s large, soft hands, were cupping each side of Bitty’s face, thumbs smoothing over his cheeks.

 

“Can I--?”  Jack didn’t even get to finish asking for permission before Bitty surged up to close the gap between their lips answer Jack’s unspoken question.

 

“That was…” Jack exhaled, still catching his breath.

 

“Yeah,” Bitty agreed, dropping his forehead to Jack’s chest, not yet wanting to break contact.  Then he tilted his head back up, “Come, walk me back, and maybe I’ll let you have another goodnight kiss.”

 

Jack stole another kiss before he unwrap his arms from around Bitty’s middle and took his hand instead.

 

“Eric.”

 

“Yeah?”  Bitty looked up, unused to hearing anyone use his given name, but loving the way it drawled out in Jack’s French-Canadian accent.

 

“I’m really glad we met.”

 

_This boy_ , Bitty thinks, smile wide as ever, then says, “Me too, hon.  Me too.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So first of all, thank you all for your comments and kudos. The second I finished writing the first chapter, I realised there was more to this story I wanted to write and it was thanks to y'all that I found the motivation to keep going. I had only planned on writing a one shot of Zimbits in the Lyft, but this story wanted to be told! I seriously don't think I've ever written this much this fast! Please don't expect updates this frequently, but I am now committed to see where this story goes. I have no plan so we'll just be on this journey together.

Bitty ended up seeing Jack every day he was in New York. Every time Bitty was free, it seemed like Jack was waiting for his text because he was always available. Surely he had better things to do in New York than just spend all his time with Bitty. Finally on Wednesday, when they met up after Bitty's final workshop, Bitty asked Jack,

 

“Don't ya have better things to do than spend all your free time with me?”

 

“No, not really,” Jack replied in total nonchalance. “Why getting sick of me?” He added with a playful chirp. 

 

“Not at all, honey. I'm just curious.  I mean you’re Jack Zimmermann, famous hockey player.  And I know you're from Montreal so this isn't home for you, and you live in Providence. You said you're just visiting for a week, but other than spending time with me I don't actually know what you're doing here.”

 

“My Bubbe and Zede live here.  My mom’s parents. I try to take a week in the off season every year to come see them since I’m too busy once hockey season starts.”

 

“That’s sweet.  And they don't mind you spending all your time with me?”

 

“No. Actually they encouraged it.”  Jack laughed his nervous laugh Bitty was becoming more and more familiar with.  “Actually, the reason I was free for dinner that first night is because they cancelled our plans so that I’d be forced to ask you out. It's been a long time since I was... interested in anyone and my family can be a little overly supportive.”  The last words said with a slight shrug.

 

Bitty laughed, because he could picture it. His MooMaw would probably do something similar. In fact, when he first came out to her, she did try to set Bitty up on dates, but the number of eligible gay men in Madison was severely lacking. He’d still get texts from her every so often about a cute boy in a photo Bitty posted on facebook, most of those had been just friends though.

* * *

Bitty had taken the full week off work since the workshop was Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, so he could explore New York a little after. He'd never been before and there was so much he wanted to see. 

 

Jack was the perfect tour guide. He clearly loved the city a lot, having spent a lot of time there visiting his grandparents, and he knew all these random historical facts about all the places they went. 

 

“Bubbe and Zede wanted me to invite you over for Shabbat tomorrow if you want.”  Jack said out of the blue while they were strolling down Hudson River Park.

 

“Shabbat?”

 

“Yeah, it's the Jewish Sabbath. It'll really just be dinner and a few prayers that you don't have to participate.”

 

“You want me to meet your family?”

 

“Uh, yeah,” Jack shrugged. “If you don't want to…” he started to backtrack. 

 

“Sweetheart, I’d love to. You just surprise me.”

 

“Good surprise?”

 

“Yes. The best.”  That earned Bitty a genuine smile and a kiss from Jack. “But I guess this means we should probably DTR.”

 

“What?”

 

“Define the relationship.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Yeah.  I mean I don’t want to presume anything.  I really have enjoyed spending time with you, and if this week is all we get I’ll cherish it…”

 

“But me inviting you to meet the family comes with implications,” Jack filled in, guessing where this was going.

 

“Yeah.”

 

They had found a bench to sit down at to have this conversation as it was too much to have while walking.  Jack took Bitty’s hand twining their fingers together as he prepared what to say next.

 

“Look, I know what I’m like, and I’m not always the easiest person to be around.  My schedule is crazy, I take losses really hard, and even if we do win, if I didn’t play my best, I mope for days.  Most of my teammates have learned to just leave me be outside of the rink because I can be insufferable.  I haven’t actually dated anyone in like a decade, and I don’t even know…” Wherever Jack started going with that sentence, he didn’t finish.  “I like you. A lot.  Which is rare for me.  But I know dating me can be too much and I won’t take it personally if you feel like you can’t do this.  I’ll be sad, and hope we can still be friends, but I can’t blame you for not wanting to insert yourself into a life I never had a choice about. To be honest, I don't think I'd even date me, but for what it’s worth, I’m in this.  I’m all in this, but only you can decide if...if you think you can handle this.”

 

Bitty took a second to think about everything Jack just said.  He knew dating Jack wasn’t going to be easy.  Already they’d been dealing with dodging the media, and Bitty’s twitter was getting to be a bit overwhelming, and he’d already found quite a few blurry pap shots of them, nothing definitive though, just speculation.  He also had grad school coming up and was working on growing his brand so he was going to be busier than ever himself.  But Boston wasn’t that far Providence so theoretically they could make this work.

 

“I- I feel like what we’ve had these past few days is too special to let go.  I know this relationship will be hard.  And I know I can’t imagine just what it’ll be like to date you. And I don't really have all that much experience dating in the first place. But for what it’s worth, I’m also in this,” Bitty said repeated back Jack’s own words.

 

“Really?” Jack’s smile was nearly blinding it was so big.

 

“Mmhmm.”  A hum of an assent was all Bitty could manage as his lips quickly became otherwise occupied by Jack’s own lips.

 

The newly minted couple continued their walk hand in hand in amiable silence, before Bitty stopped short, alarming Jack just a bit.

 

“Bits?”

 

“How am I going to bring a pie without a kitchen?”  Jack gave him a confused look.  “To Shabbat.”

 

“You don’t need to bring anything, just yourself.”

 

“Honey, I’m Southern.  I was raised to never show up without a gift.  And I ain’t gonna bring some store bought something with no heart in it to dinner at my boyfriend’s grandparents’ house.  It ain’t gentlemanly!”  The look Jack was giving him went straight to Bitty’s gut.  This boy.  “Well?”  

 

“I’m your boyfriend?”  Jack’s words were hesitant, despite their earlier DTR talk like two minutes ago.

 

“Darling that’s literally what we just agreed on, right?”

 

“No, yes, I mean it is.  It’s just nice to hear out loud.”  Bitty couldn’t resist stretching up to place a kiss on Jack’s cheek.

 

**Bitty (11:23 PM):** Update: Jack Zimmermann is officially my boyfriend

**Lardo (11:23 PM):** WHAT THE FUCK BITS!!!

**Lardo (11:23 PM):** It’s been like 4 days!

**Bitty (11:23 PM):** I know!

**Bitty (11:23 PM):** but omg he’s just so *heart eyes*

**Bitty (11:24 PM):** He invited me to dinner at his grandparents’ tomorrow

**Lardo (11:24 PM):** Brah

**Bitty (11:24 PM):** How is this real life?

**Bitty (11:25 PM):** I don’t even have access to an oven so I can’t bake a pie :( :( :(

 

**Jack (11:26 PM):** Bubbe says you can bake a pie here if you want, but she insists on teaching you how to make challah

 

**Bitty (11:26 PM):** Jack just texted me that his bubbe is gonna let me use her kitchen

**Bitty (11:26 PM):** And she wants to teach me to make challah

**Bitty (11:26 PM):** This boy *blushing emoji*

**Lardo (11:27 PM):** Keep him!

**Bitty (11:27 PM):** I plan to

 

**Bitty (11:27 PM):** Bless you

**Jack (11:32 PM):** Is that a yes?

**Bitty (11:32 PM):** Yes it’s a yes and thank you

**Jack (11:33 PM):** Ok good. See you tomorrow.  Good night.

 

Jack picked Bitty up at his hostel at 4:00 Friday evening.  Dinner wasn’t set to start until 7:30, but since Jack had gotten his bubbe to agree to let Bitty use their kitchen to bake a pie in exchange for her teaching him to make challah, they arrived early for the baking.  Bitty also insisted on at least picking up a bouquet of flowers from a bodega on the way so he wasn’t showing up empty handed.  Jack helped him pick out flowers he knew his bubbe would like, multi-colored daisies.  

 

Bitty absolutely loved Jack’s bubbe!  They spent two hours together baking.  Bitty had a little trouble getting the hang of braiding the challah loaves, but eventually picked it up.  Bubbe was also a joy to have helping him with the pie.  It reminded him a lot of baking with MooMaw when he was a kid.

 

The dinner was absolutely lovely too.  Bitty had never been to a Shabbat before so he didn’t know what to expect, but it was just what Jack said: dinner and some prayers, candles and wine.  Plus, Bitty had to admit Jack was super cute in his little  [ yarmulke ](http://www.bestkippah.com/store/pc/catalog/d90.4_1068_detail.jpg) , which was Falconers blue with little pucks and sticks. It made his heart swell. 

 

Bitty loved hearing more about Jack.  His grandparents were more than happy to share stories from his childhood.  Being around his family also brought out a new side to Jack Bitty hadn’t been privy to yet.  He seemed more relaxed and at ease, and took the teasing from his bubbe and zede like a champ. It's obvious he's close with his family and really enjoys spending time with them.  

 

Before the end of the night, Bubbe pulled Bitty aside and told him she’d never seen Jack quite as happy and relaxed as he’d been the past few days, and that was thanks to Bitty.  She knew it was still early and they only just met, but she was rooting for them.  It warmed Bitty’s heart and validated that they made the right decision even after only knowing each other a matter of days.  Bitty was already falling hard.

* * *

Leaving Jack on Sunday was the hardest thing Bitty’s had to do.  His flight was first, but close enough to Jack’s that they decided to share a ride to the airport again.  They promised to text and call daily, and had already made plans to meet up as much as possible before hockey season started once Bitty made the move to Massachusetts for school in a few weeks.

 

Mamma picked Bitty up from the airport.  He’d been playing out this conversation over and over again in his head during the flight.  He thought he’d wait until they got home, but he was too anxious he just needed to get it over with so he blurted it out in the car ride from Atlanta back to Madison.

 

“Mamma I met someone while I was in New York.”

 

“That's wonderful, Dicky. Who’d you meet? Anyone famous?”

 

Bitty laughed nervously because she obvious misunderstood his statement but also yes he did meet someone famous. 

 

“No mamma, I mean I  _ met _ someone.  A boyfriend.  I have a boyfriend now.”

 

Mamma didn’t say anything for what felt like forever but was realistically only a few seconds.  Even though Bitty had come out to her a couple years ago, he’d never had a romantic life to talk to her about yet so this was really their first conversation about Bitty dating someone. She was focusing on her driving but Bitty could tell she was trying to find the right words to say. She'd been supportive since he first told her he was gay, but it took time to undo a lifetime of conditioned thinking. He knew she tried hard though, and he appreciated her for it. 

 

“What’s his name?”

 

“Jack.”  Then, after a beat, Bitty added “Zimmermann.”

 

“Like the hockey player?” Mamma asked, looking away from the road for a split second toward Bitty then back at the road again.

 

“No mamma, he is the hockey player.”

 

They were stopped at a red light so Bitty pulled out his phone to show her a selfie he and Jack took together.  

 

“Oh my, does he ever look like the spitting image of his father.  You know I had such a crush on Bad Bob when I was a girl.  Guess we Bittles just have good taste in men.”

 

Bitty laughed.  He was so relieved his mamma was taking this so well.

 

**Bitty (4:26 PM):** So I just told my mamma about us

**Bitty (4:26 PM):** Apparently she and used to have a poster of your dad in her bedroom when she was young

**Jack (4:34 PM):** I don’t think I needed to know that 

**Bitty (4:34 PM):** Well neither did I so now you can suffer with me

 

In the privacy of his childhood bedroom, Bitty opened up his twitter for the first time all week. He'd tweeted a bit throughout the week, but he'd been avoiding his notifications as his account had grown exponentially since Jack tweeted at him and he hadn’t had the time to sift through it all. 

 

It looked like a bunch of his new followers found his YouTube channel and we're sending him photos and stories of successful and failed bakes they tried. He responded to a few of those thanking them for their support and offering advice where he could. A bunch more were asking who he was and why Jack tweeted him some even accompanied by the blurry pap shots asking he that was him. Some were less than polite.  He ignored all of those. A few twitter friends asked him about New York and he responded to those as well. Careful to not reveal too much that could lead back to Jack. They were lucky so far to have evaded a massive gossip scandal, especially since most of their time in NY was spent in public. 

 

_ Hey y’all! I'm back from New York and so excited to use what I learned at the workshop at YouTube Space New York. I've already gotten a couple hundred new subscribers so I guess I just want to thank y’all and introduce y’all a bit to me and this channel.  _

 

_ This is Itty Bitty Pies, and I'm Bitty, in case all y’all didn't already know. I'm moving to Massachusetts in a few weeks for grad school and gonna be getting my MBA with a focus on hospitality and hotel management. Usually these blogs are full of baking, which I unfortunately don't have for you today since I just got back, but I do have an idea for a new pie recipe I want to try soon.  _

 

_ But omigod y’all I had the wonderful opportunity to learn to bake an authentic Jewish challah for shabbat dinner while I was in New York. My boyfriend's grandma invited me over to teach me and she was such a joy to bake with. Reminded me of baking with my MooMaw when I was a kid. Those braids are way more complex than a pie lattice. But I picked it up eventually.  _

 

Bitty rambled on a bit more about his time in New York and things he learned from the workshop and even delved a bit into the epic jam dispute before signing off and uploading the video. 

 

He didn't even think about the vlog again until the next morning when he woke up to a flood of new messages, most of which all focused on one word. Boyfriend. 

  
**@IttyBittyPies** Yes I have a boyfriend. No y’all aren’t getting any more info.  It’s new.  I’m happy.  Please respect our privacies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you missed the hyperlink, this is the [kippah](http://www.bestkippah.com/store/pc/catalog/d90.4_1068_detail.jpg) Jack was wearing.
> 
> Come yell with me on tumblr [aokayinspace](http://aokayinspace.tumblr.com)
> 
> I'm already starting to write chapter 3, but it might be a while because I need to actually map out a plan.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I got kind stuck with this story, which is why I don't usually expand on one shots, but I said I was committed to this so I'm trying. I've already written more than half of the next chapter even though this one doesn't really feel finished but I need to just move on from it so I'm sorry if this chapter sucks.

Bitty was more than thankful he didn’t have to go apartment hunting.  As luck would have it, Lardo’s roommate decided to move out and she was looking for a new roommate around the same time Bitty decided he was going to Boston University for his master’s degree.  The timing, price, and location were perfect for what Bitty needed.  It was right on the BU bus route so it’d make it easy to get to his classes, and was located in Kenmore Square just steps away from the Green Line making it easy to get anywhere else in Boston.  It was a true two bedroom apartment, not a split, which meant he'd actually have space and stay in his budget.  So when Lardo asked him if wanted to be her new roommate, he jumped at the opportunity to live with his best friend.  And, now with him dating Jack it was nice to be living with the one person beside his mamma and Coach who knew the identity of his boyfriend.  He could only imagine what living with a random roommate would bring when Jack would come by.  Boston was a hockey town, well more like Boston was a _sports_ town, so chances were high any random person Bitty would find on Craigslist would have at least recognised Jack.  

The one and only downside of the apartment was the tiny kitchen, but it's not like he'd be able to find something better in his budget.  So he'd just have to make do with a not even full sized oven with no temperature dial.  He had it worse in the college dorm room before he befriended the Samwell Men's Hockey Team and they let him use the kitchen at the Haus whenever he liked.

Yes, living with Lardo was going to be great!

* * *

 

Jack made sure to clear his entire day the day Bitty moved to Boston so he could pick up Bitty and his mamma in the truck and help him move.  This saved them having to rent a car, plus it’d been weeks since New York and he was anxious to see Bitty again in person. FaceTime, Skype, and texts was only sustainable for so long.

**Bitty (9:17 AM):** Landed!

**Jack (9:17 AM):** Okay good.  I’m waiting in short term parking. I’ll meet you at baggage claim

**Bitty (9:17 AM):** No you stay at the car.  We’ll come to you.  Don’t need to cause a scene when you get noticed by some fans

**Jack (9:17 AM):** I can be incognito.  I have a hat.

**Bitty (9:18 AM):** That’s sweet, but we’ll meet you at the car.

 

Jack was leaning against the outside of the truck as Bitty and Mamma walked up.  His smile grew to consume his entire face when he spotted Bitty approaching.  Jack helped them load the bags into the bed of the truck first, then got introduced.

 

“Mamma, this is Jack.  Jack, Mamma.”

 

Jack politely went to hold out his hand for a handshake when he was engulfed in a hug.

 

“Oh, Jack sweetie, it’s so good to finally meet you.  Dicky’s told me so much about you.”

 

“Euh, yeah, same,” Jack replied caught off guard still by the hug.  Then his eyes met Bitty’s, who was smiling something fierce and it pierced straight to his gut.

 

“Hi,” Jack said eyes still locked on Bitty.

 

“Hi,” Bitty replied.

 

Suzanne, recognising the look decided to give the boys a little alone time.

 

“I’m just gonna go be in the car, over there, looking over my lists.  Let you boys say a proper hello.”

 

Neither boy was even aware of her presence, or disappearance, as it was like the rest of the world didn’t exist in that moment.  Bitty nearly knocked Jack’s cap off his head as he surged up to meet his boyfriend’s lips for the first time in weeks.

 

“I sure did miss you, sweetpea.”

 

“I missed you too, bud.”  Bud.  That was new.  Jack had mentioned about a week ago that he loved Bitty's pet names.  And even though Bitty used them for pretty much everyone, it always made him feel special to hear one directed toward himself.  When Bitty told him "sweetpea" was his and his alone, Jack decided he wanted to find a cute pet name for Bitty and started trying them out, mostly sticking to French terms of endearment because those came most naturally to him, even if Bitty bugged him about not being able to understand.  Bud came out by accident one night, a word Jack’s maternal grandfather used to use for him as a kid. It just sorta stuck. 

* * *

“What’s the point in having an elevator when you still have to take the stairs to get to it?”  Bitty complained hauling one of his suitcases up the stairs toward his apartment’s elevator.  Jack had already carried his bag toward the elevator and was turning around to help Bitty with his.  His mouth opened to say something, but Bitty shut him up before he could speak.  “Don’t you dare chirp me about my size now mister.  I can handle five steps, it’s just the fact of the matter.”

 

“I wasn't going to--I was just going to offer to help.” But by that point Bitty had gotten the bag up the steps with an exaggerated huff making the whole thing more dramatic than it needed to be. 

 

After loading up the elevator, Bitty and Jack took the stairs up to the fifth floor, sending mamma up in the elevator with the bags as it was not big enough to fit everyone plus the luggage. Lardo was helping Suzanne empty the elevator when Bitty walked through the door from the stairs, abandoning her bag to tackle Bitty into a hug.  She hadn’t even noticed Jack who was stuck in the stairwell still.

 

“Ohmigod you’re Jack Zimmermann.” She let go of Bitty and pulled Jack through the entrance.  “I mean I knew you were Jack Zimmermann but hearing Bits tell me about you and seeing you here in the flesh...ch'yeah.”

 

Jack laughed and offered her a hug.

* * *

Once Bitty had started unpacking and setting things up, Jack disappeared downstairs for a few minutes with the excuse of checking to make sure there was nothing left in the truck.  He returned with a rather large wrapped box.

 

“So I got you a little housewarming gift.”

 

“Little?” Bitty chirped looking at the size of the gift. Jack just shrugged. 

 

Bitty unwrapped the wrapping paper to find a baby blue Kitchenaid stand mixer with all the attachments.  It was so beautiful, Bitty thought he might cry.

 

“Jack, I--” He looked up at the soft smile on Jack’s face.  He wanted to say he couldn’t accept it, because those mixers cost like $500 or more, and that was just too much! Even if his boyfriend is super rich and could easily afford it. But Bitty wasn't dating Jack for his money. The look on Jack’s face though, he looked so proud of himself, so excited to be giving this to Bitty, Bitty couldn’t turn it down.  “I love it.  Thanks, hon.”

 

“I figured you’d want to try out your new kitchen right away so I wanted to make sure you had what you needed.  I did some research and asked maman for her advice, and I was told this is the best out there.”

 

“Sweatpea, it’s perfect.”  Bitty punctuated his sentence with a soft kiss, which was interrupted by his mother squealing.

 

“Oh my lord.  Dicky, is that a Kitchenaid Artisan Stand Mixer?” She picked up the box and was inspecting it.  “Jack, did you buy this?”

 

“Yes.  I figured a housewarming gift was appropriate.”  He scratched the back of his neck nervously.

 

“You did good, Jack,” she said with a gentle pat on the shoulder.  Jack blushed slightly.

 

“Come mamma, help me set this up then we can go to the store and buy some ingredients to bake.

 

_ Hey y’all I’m back and look brand new kitchen!  Well the kitchen may not be brand new, just the location, but look what is!  *steps aside to reveal stand mixer* My wonderful boyfriend surprised me with this amazing house warming gift.  Y’all I can’t even begin to tell ya how excited I am to bake with it for the first time.  So of course I had to film it for all y’all.  And I got my mamma here helping me out today even though this kitchen ain’t really big enough for the both of us. _

 

_ Now today’s pie is something new I’ve been working on.  I’ve been experimenting with maple and finally found a way to make a maple crusted pie.  Maple syrup don’t work ‘cause your pie dough ain’t be the right consistency, but then I discovered maple sugar, and let me just tell y’all, my practice pie was wonderful.  The maple and the apple really compliment each other in a way that just elevates your classic apple pie with a little Canadian twist.  _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bitty and Lardo's apartment is basically my old apartment in Boston, which is actually like the worst place for Bitty to live because the oven sucked! Like you couldn't fit a full sized cookie sheet in it and expect the door to shut, plus there were no temperatures on the dial so I had to buy an oven thermometer and play around with it and manually draw the temperatures on the dial with a sharpie. Woo grad school living!
> 
> The elevator thing is real too! I hosted a meeting at my apartment once knowing I had an elevator and my friend at the time was in a wheelchair. I had forgotten you need to take stairs to get to the elevator so it wasn't actually accessible. We ended up helping her up the stairs, then her wheelchair didn't fit through the elevator door unless we collapsed it first. It was kind of a disaster. I also had to return two couches and just pay for delivery because we couldn't fit them in the elevator and couldn't carry it up the stairwell by ourselves. 
> 
> Next up, Bitty and Lardo throw a housewarming kegster, Jack meets SMH.

**Author's Note:**

> Come yell with me on tumblr: [aokayinspace](http://aokayinspace.tumblr.com)
> 
> EDIT: Okay so I opened this up as a multi-chaptered fic now. I can't promise any sort of timely update, but even as I ended this I knew I wanted to write more in this world and y'all have been so encouraging wanting a sequel. I have no set plans other than I want to write more and I probably will do a chapter from Jack's POV as well so stay tuned.


End file.
